Transmission



c. w. WEISS May 17, 1932.

TRANSMISSION Filed July 8, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 17, 1932.

C. W. WEISS TRANSMISS ION Filed July 8, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1931 Icfw. WEISS 1,858,696

TRANSMISSION F iled July 8, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwuento'c san i 61; M

Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED STATES P CARL W. WEISS; OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK v TRANSMISSION Application filed m a,

a transmission in which the driving mem-- ber, rotating at practicallyconstant angular velocity, causes the driven member to overcomeresistance to rotation by torque impulses transmitted through anintermediate ody which itself does not tend, either through inertia orcentrifugal force or gyrostatic force, to set up torque impulses in thedriven member. In accordance with the invention there are mounted on thedriving member centrifugal bodies which act upon an intermediate member,rotated with the driving member, to cause the same to effect in varyingdegree engagement of the intermediate member with the driven memberthrough the medium of rolling bodies; when the intermediate member is inone extreme position the rolling bodies roll freely on their own axesand no movement is imparted to the driven member, while, in the other extreme position of the intermediate member, the rolling bodies arepressed with so much force against the driven member," which may beslightly deformable, that the driven mem her is rotated with the drivingmember and with the intermediate member, the speed ratio of transmissionbeing then 1:1. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated theintermediate member, movable in an axial direction, is tapered from apolygonal cross section, near one end of its effective surface, to atruly cylindrical section at or near the other end of its effectivesurface and spherically rolling bodies are interposed between theintermediate member and the driven member, the action of thenon-parallel surfaces of the polygonal section being to force therolling bodies into such contact with the driven member that the drivenmember is compelled to rotate with the intermediate body and at the samespeed. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the intermediatebody is engaged with the driving memher through a helical engagement sothat relative movement of the intermediate body and the driving memberin a direction of rotation effects relative movement 1n an ax al 1981.Serial No. 549,348.

direction, stops being provided to limit the relative movement in anaxial direction.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings Figure 1is a view partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation of apreferred construction.

Figure 2 is a partial view in transverse sectionon a plane indicated bythe broken line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.I l

Figure 3 is a detail View in transverse section on the planeindicated bythe broken line 3-3 of Figure l. I Figure 4 is a detail'view intransverse section on the plane indicated by the broken line 4-4 ofFigure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. 1 v

Figures 5 and 6 are views in longitudinal, sectional elevation and intransverse section respectively, illustrating a slightly differentembodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated a housing a is providedat one end with a suitable bearing a and at the other end with asuitable bearing a The driving shaft or member 6 is received in thebearing a and is supported in a driven shaft or member c, which in turnis supported in the bearing-a The driving member I) is formed orprovided, as at 6 with longitudinally extended. gear teeth, with whichare engagedthe toothed hubs d of the centrifugal bodies al shown asthree in number, each centrifugal body being engaged by a spring d whichacts in opposition to centrifugal force and tends to maintain the weightin the position shown in Figure 2. The centrifugal bodies are mounted onstuds e which are secured in a flangel. f of the intermediate memberwhich is shown as mounted on a helica ly grooved portion (i of thedriving shaft or member '6. It will be understood that as thecentrifugal bodies (Z revolve with the driving shaft 6, movement of thecentrifugal bodies al under the influence of centrifugal force, from theposition shown in' broken lines in Figure 2, when the intermediate bodyf is in its extreme right hand position, to the position shown by fulllines in Figure 2,

will cause the intermediate body to have a relative movement ofrotation, with respect to the driving shaft and, by reason of thehelical engagement, to move to the position shown in Figure 1 toward theleft hand. It will be understood that the centrifugal bodies move inaxial direction with the intermediate body, the toothed hubs d remainingin engagement with the elongated teeth I) of the driving shaft.

The intermediate member 7" is cylindrical in cross section at or nearone end, as shown at f in Figures 1 and 3, and at its other end ispolygonal in cross section, as shown at f Coaxial with the intermediatebody 7 is a ball carrier 9, provided with seats, as at 9 for balls hwhich are interposed between the intermediate body f and a coaxialmember 71 which is a part of the driven member 0, but for convenience inmanufacture is formed independently thereof and is secured thereto. Themember 5 is slightly deformable so that when the driving member and theintermediate member are in direct engagement with the driven member at a1:1

ratio, there is no'rolling movement of the balls, with respect to theintermediate member and the driven member.

The ballcarrier and the intermediate mem: ber are coupled forlongitudinal movement by links which are pivoted on the ball carrier andat their ends engage a circumferential groove 9* of the intermediatemember f and a groove g of the driven member 71. In the arrangementshown the balls h are thereby moved longitudinally with the intermediatemember but through half the distancel The ball carrier may have abearing,

as at g, on a portion of the driven member 2', as at 2' I It will beunderstood that in starting up, with the driven member at rest, theballs it ride on the cylindrical portion of the intermediate member andthere is no transmission of power at low speed of the engine. As thespeed of the engine is increased the centrifugal, bodies are moved fromthe position shown by broken lines and the intermediate member istherefore moved through its helical engagement with the driving member,in the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings,toward the left hand in Figure 1 in which the intermediate member isshown in its extreme left hand position. As the intermediate member ismoved from its extreme right handposition toward its left hand positionthe balls it will ride on the tapered polygonal portion of theintermediate member. At first, as the movement of the intermediatemember toward its left hand position begins, the polygonal portion ofthe intermediate member will move circumferentially with respect to theballs, the balls riding over the angles of the intermediate member, thetorque on the driven member, that is, the resistance of the drivenmember, being then too great to permit movement of the driven member.This may continue until the centrifugal action ofthe bodies d hasbrought aboutthe movement of the intermediate member to its extreme lefthand position. Between these extremes the relative rolling of the ballsh with respect to the intermediate member will depend upon theresistance offered by the driven member and the resistance of the drivenmember will thus be overcome gradually and rotation of the driven memberwill be effected at an intermediate and increasing speed. When the speedof the engine has obtained its maximum and the intermediate member 7 hasbeen movedto its extreme left hand position the balls will cease to rollrelatively over the polygonal portion of the intermediate mem ber andthe driven member will then be driven at the speed of the drivingmember.

It will be understood further that when a ball rolls relatively over therounded angles of the polygonal portion of the intermediate memberit-will tend to roll down the incline beyond the highest point and inthe opposite direction. If this action were not accommodated, as willnow be described, it would re sult in a loss in the multiplication oftorque exerted on the driven member. Therefore, while the driven shaftis driven from the driven member 6 through the one-way or roller clutchi", there is interposed between the flanged of the driven member 2', iand a floating ring 2' a one-way or roller clutch i and the floatingring i is connected through springs z" to the stationary housing a. Theenergy which is stored in the springs 2', by placing them under tension,as thus described, is then exerted through the clutch i and is appliedto the driven member in the direction of rotation of the driven member.

A roller clutch 5 is preferably provided between the housing and theshaft 0 to prevent rotation of the shaft e in the wrong direction. Therollers i i may be cushioned by thin corrugated spring plates, as shownat 1 and 2', and the rollers 71* may be similarly cushioned, all for thepurpose of keeping the rollers in constant clutching engagement.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1 there is shown asingle series of balls interposed between the intermediate body and thedriven member. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures5 and 6 the intermediate body i is shown as having a multiple series ofcylindrical portions 7 and corresponding tapered poly onal portions 7with a mulitple series of balls h arranged to coact with the severalportions of the intermediate body and with the coaxial laminatedsleevelike member formed for thepurpose of securing greaterflexibilityof two relatively thin sleeves '11 and 2' engaged at their ends betweenan angular portion 2' of the driven member and on which are pivotedlinks 9" which engage at their ends a circumferential groove of theintermediate member f and a groove of the driven member 2''. Thisconstruction permits the use of a greater number of smaller balls and abetter distribution of pressures.

While in the embodiments of the invention shown. the movement of theintermediate member is controlled "by the centrifugal bodies, it will beunderstood that the desired longitudinal movement of the intermediatebody might be efi'ected by other means.

It will be understood that various changes in details of constructionand arrangement can be made to suit dilferent conditions of use or theconvenience of the manufacturer and that, except as pointed out in theaccompanying claims, the invention is not restricted to the particularconstruction shown and described herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, an intermediate member engaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling bodyinterposed between the intermediate body and the drlven member, andmeans to move the intermediate member longitudinally with respect to therolling body.

2. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, a tapered intermediate member engaged with the driving member torotate therewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling body interposed between the intermediate body and the driven member, and meansto move the intermediate member longitudinally with respect to therolling body.

3. In a transmission, theecombination of a driving member, a drivenmember, a tapered intermediate memberpolygonal at one end andcylindrical at the other end and engaged with the driving member torotate therewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling bodyinterposed between the intermediate body and the driven member, andmeans to move the intermediate member longitudinally with respect to therolling body.

4. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member,anintermediate member en gaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith and having limited relative movement, a centrifu al bodymountedon the intermediate member and having geared engagement with thedriving member, and a rolling body interposed between the intermediatebody and the driven member.

5. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a centrifugalbody engaged with the driving member, a driven member,

an intermediate member engaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling bodyinterposed between the intermediate body l and the driven member, and oerative connections whereby the'interme iate member is moved throu h theaction of the centrifugal body to vary t e engagement of the rollingbody with the driven member.

6'. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, acentrifugal body engaged with the driving member, a driven member, atapered intermediate member engaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling bodyinterposed between the intermediate body and the driven member, andoperative connections whereby the intermediate member is moved throughthe action of the centrifugal body to vary the engagement of the rollingbody with the driven member.

7. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a centrifugalbody engaged with the driving member, a driven member, 1

a tapered intermediate member polygonal at one end and cylindrical atthe other end and engaged with the driving member to rotate therewithand having limited relative move ment, a rolling body interposed betweenthe intermediate body and the driven member, and operative connectionswhereby the inter mediate member is moved through the action of thecentrifugal body to vary the engagement of the rolling body with thedriven member.

8. In a transmission, the combination of a drivin member, a centrifugalbody engaged wlth the driving member, a driven member, an intermediatemember having a helical engagement with the driving member to rotatetherewith and Having limited relative movement rotarily andlongitudinally, a rolling body interposed between the intermediate bodyand the driven member,

and operative connections whereby the intermediate member is movedthrough the action of the centrifugal body to vary the engagement of therolling body with the driven member. a

' 9. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, a tapered intermediate member polygonal at one end andcylindrical at one end and eng aged with the driven member to rotate mtherewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling bodyinterposed between the intermediate body and the driven member,

10. In a transmission, the combination of means to move the intermediatemember longitudinallywith respect to the rolling body,

a driving member, a driven member, an in termediate -member engaged withthe driving member to rotate therewith and having limited relativemovement, a rolling body interposed between the intermediate body andthe driven member, a carrier cooperating with the rolling body, andmeans to move the intermediate member longitudinally with respect to therolling body.

11. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, an intermediate member engaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith and having limited relative movement, a rolling bodyinterposed between the intermediate body and the driven member, acarrier cooperating with the rolling body, a link connection between theintermediate member, the carrier and the driven member, and means tomove the intermediate member longitudinally with respect to the rollingbody.

12. In a transmission, the combination of a driving ,member, a drivenmember, an intermediate member engaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith andhaving limited relative movement, a circumferential seriesof rolling bodies interposed between the intermediate body and thedriven mom-- ber, a carrier cooperating with the rolling bodies, andmeans tomove the intermediate member longitudinally with respect to therolling body.

13. In a transmission, the combination of a driving member, a drivenmember, an intermediate member engaged with the driving member to rotatetherewith and having limited relative movement, a circumferential series0t rolling bodies interposed between the intermediate body and thedriven member, a carrier cooperating with the rolling bodies, a linkconnection between the intermediate member, the carrier and thedrivenmember, and means to move the intermediate member longitudinallywith respect to the rolling bod v This specification signed this 3rd dayof July, A. D. 1931.

. CARL W.v WEISS.

